That's not a bad return on investment. Because the horse was the favorite, and Ride on Curlin and Social Inclusion weren't exactly long shots either, the payouts for bettors weren't overwhelming.

Here's what the win, place and show paid, per the NBC broadcast:

Preakness Prize Money

Horse

Win

Place

Show

California Chrome

$3.00

$3.00

$2.40

Ride On Curlin

$5.60

$3.80

Social Inclusion

$3.40

Looking Ahead to the Belmont Stakes

Horse racing has already benefited greatly from California Chrome's run. Whether the horse wins the Belmont Stakes on June 7 or not, the Triple Crown threat will bring out all of the horse racing purists as well as the casual fans.

The folks running the Belmont Stakes Twitter account know how big California Chrome's presence will be at their race. They have already begun the hype: